In order to stop the BJP from coming to power again in 2019, the Congress party pitched for an opposition unity or a grand-alliance against the BJP. The first setback to this vague idea of opposition unity occured when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with Telangana Cheif Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao pitched for a federal front to take on the BJP, excluding the Congress. Without the likes of KCR and Mamta Banerjee, the supposed grand-alliance would fail to make any impact.
The Congress is the main opposition party in Telangana and KCR would not identify with the Congress party especially when the polls in his home state are due next year. KCR, infact, is ready for early polls in November and December. It seems his proximity with the BJP is increasing. Immediately after the meeting with PM Modi, KCR announced the idea of early polls. After the meeting with PM Modi, KCR appeared satisfied with the centre’s positive response to the wish-list of the state. And now, it looks like he is ready to be on the same boat with the BJP on a range of issues.
Mamata Banerjee on her part said that she cannot be part of a front led by the Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Now, the West Bengal Congress has hit back and said it will fight along with the communists and other regional parties to counter TMC and the BJP. According to Indian Express report, West Bengal Congress unit has sent a report to All India Congress Committee (AICC) proposing 21 step approach to defeat the “TMC-BJP nexus”. The West Bengal Congress general secretary O P Mishra told Indian Express: “We have sent the report to New Delhi and are awaiting a response. The main thrust of the report is to not only look at the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but draw a long-term plan to see how we can make a recovery in the 2021 assembly elections, defeat the TMC and come to power. We are not averse to forming a coalition government with the CPM in the state”.
It would be interesting to see whether the high command would accept this idea or not. But, one thing is clear that this Mamata-KCR situation has put a spanner in the plans of the Congress party to lead a grand anti-Modi and anti-BJP alliance. It seems, the grand alliance is ‘over’ even before its formation.
Just a few days earlier, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar questioned the practicality of a grand alliance. This particular idea of opposition unity before the general elections is not a new thing in India. Earlier also, various regional parties had come together to oppose a particular person and a particular party and the end result for such an alliance was always very predictable. During the 90s, the country suffered a lot because of the coalition governments. Most recent example of the collapse of opposition unity is the one that was formed in Bihar. This usually happens because parties come together to fight against a particular person or a party without having any common ideology. This has always resulted in their downfall.